Grey
by hmweasley
Summary: When Scorpius and his parents have to move into Malfoy Manor, Scorpius is appalled by the grey room he's made to stay in. To cheer him up, his parents promise that he can decorate his new room anyway he'd like. Of course he chooses rainbows.


**A/N: This was written for the "grey" prompt in the Favourite Character Boot Camp using Scorpius. In "Calcified Hearts Still Beat" Narcissa mentions that Scorpius has a rainbow bedroom, so of course I had to write the origins of said bedroom. Word count: 1,819**

In his eight years of life, Scorpius had never been sat down in the parlor and told his parents had important news except once, several months ago, when his parents had informed him that his grandfather was dead.

As he sat on the couch, looking between his parents as they sat across from him, anxiety grew in the pit of his stomach. He was tempted to flee before he faced the news, whatever it was.

"Scorpius," Draco began before pausing to clear his throat.

Scorpius stared at him with wide eyes, not daring to say a word.

"Do you remember when I told you we'd have to move to Malfoy Manor one day?"

Scorpius let out an involuntary whine. He did remember. He'd been deeply troubled when his dad had mentioned it, and he was even more troubled that it was being brought up again in such a serious way.

Unable to say a word, he nodded. Draco continued speaking, staring at a place on the wall above his son's head.

"With your grandfather gone, we've been speaking with your grandmother about what to do next."

Draco paused to clear his throat again, and Astoria took over, moving to sit beside Scorpius and hold him to her side. Her warmth provided some comfort, but it wasn't enough.

"The manor is too large for someone to live in alone. Grandmother Narcissa would like some company. You know she loves having you around."

His mother told him that each time she took him to the manor, but Scorpius wasn't as convinced of it as she was. Grandmother Narcissa was as distant as his dad, and Scorpius was never sure if Draco wanted him around either.

"She could move here," Scorpius suggested, though he was unable to picture his grandmother living anywhere other than a house as large and imposing as Malfoy Manor.

"Malfoy Manor has been in the family for more than a century," Draco said. "It will be in the family for a century more. Malfoys are _meant_ to live at Malfoy Manor."

Shivers travelled down Scorpius' spine. If that were true, he wouldn't escape the house as an adult either, but he held no desire to stay once he didn't have to. He wondered if his dad's ghost would haunt him if he sold the house. Or perhaps his grandfather would take up the job.

"What about this house?" Scorpius asked. "What happens to it?"

His mum and dad shared a look. Astoria rubbed circles on his back as his dad ran a hand over his eyes.

"If we kept it, it would only fall into disuse. There's no sense to it. We won't be back here, Scorpius."

"But it's our house! We've always lived here! What about the little hill in the back? And the stream where we wade in the spring? Mum?"

Astoria's eyes were sad as she looked at him, and it was then that he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"I'm sorry, Scorpius. It's been decided."

He looked towards his dad and received a slight nod in response. It was the final straw. He began sobbing as his mother pulled him in tight and tried to shelter him from the reality of the situation.

Draco disappeared not long after, his head hanging low, but Scorpius was too lost in his despair to notice.

* * *

It took less than a month for everything they owned to be sent to Malfoy Manor. Everything they owned, that was, except the house. The house would stay in the same spot for another family to live in once it was sold. Scorpius stared at it from the front garden, a bag with the last of his things clutched in his hand.

Draco reached out to grasp Scorpius' arm, and the boy flinched, knowing what was coming next. The house disappeared before his eyes as he was yanked away. Moments later, he was staring at Malfoy Manor instead, feeling nauseous for reasons that weren't entirely from the Apparition.

Without looking at his father, he stepped forward and opened the gate. Draco sighed behind him but said nothing as they walked together up the path to the front door.

"Let me take you to your room," Draco said, heading straight for the stairs and expecting Scorpius to follow.

He hadn't looked at Scorpius since they'd left the old house, but Scorpius was fine with that. If his dad looked at him, he'd see the sadness in his eyes, and that would only make him feel worse.

While they'd been preparing for the move, Scorpius had avoided learning which of the manor's many bedrooms was set to be his. Though he'd been coming to the manor his entire life, he hadn't bothered exploring most of the bedrooms before. Based on the decor of the rest of the house, he was expecting more of the same: deep greens and silvers that made everything look too dark, even in the middle of the afternoon.

Instead, his father opened the door to a bedroom on the second floor, and Scorpius was met with varying shades of grey.

The bedframe was silver. The wardrobe was a dark ebony. But everything else was grey: the wallpaper, the bedclothes, the curtains, everything.

It was far more miserable than the greens.

Until that point, he'd done a good job of warding off his tears. He couldn't hold them in anymore. His father panicked at the first sign he was crying.

"We can decorate it however you like," he vowed. "This room hasn't been used in a couple of decades. There's no telling when it was last redecorated. Everything in here need only be temporary. By next week, we can go to Diagon Alley, and you can buy whatever you want for it. Anything."

Scorpius struggled to contain his tears as he gave a slight nod, staring straight ahead at his new bed to avoid eye contact with his dad.

Sighing, Draco let his gaze flicker from Scorpius to the door.

"Go ahead and get settled in," he said quietly. "We'll call for you when it's dinnertime."

Scorpius gave another short nod, not looking at his father as the door shut behind him.

* * *

It took three days of living in Malfoy Manor and three nights of Scorpius crying himself to sleep in the grey room that looked entirely black at night before Astoria was able to take him to Diagon Alley to shop for new decor.

Scorpius wasn't excited. That would have meant he held hope that life at Malfoy Manor could be okay, and he didn't.

He was, however, grateful that his room wouldn't be entirely grey much longer.

"I can really buy anything I want?" he asked, looking up at his mother with wide eyes.

He'd never been allowed that before. In their old home, his bedroom had been carefully decorated by his parents and had matched the rest of the house. It had been full of light creams and tans that Scorpius had found comforting. He didn't think he wanted that anymore if he had a choice though.

Astoria looked like she might back out for a second, but she smiled and nodded at him. Scorpius pounced on the chance before she could change her mind. Letting go of her hand, he bounded through the linen store and tried to take in each option.

After his days spent living in grey, he was drawn towards the brightest colours the shop stocked. There were pinks and purples and oranges. Just about everything they sold was better than the grey he'd been putting up with.

He wandered the aisles for ten minutes before he found the bed sheets that made him gasp. They were enchanted to change colour. He stared for a minute as they cycled through the entire rainbow.

His mother, who had been giving him space, found him staring at them in amazement.

"Are those the ones then?"

Scorpius was too wrapped up in joy to pick up on the uncertainty in her voice. He nodded, mouth hanging open.

"They're perfect," he breathed.

He couldn't stop pulling them out of the bag to stare as they continued shopping.

* * *

They didn't get back to Malfoy Manor until it was nearly dinnertime. It was the first time in his memory that Scorpius was excited to arrive at his ancestral home.

He carried as much of his new bedroom decor as he could, wanting it close, while his mother handled the rest, including the new bed frame that floated in front of her. It was made of oak and was perhaps flimsier than his current metal one but was much nicer to look at in his opinion.

There was a bounce in his step as he hurried up the path and then up the stairs, not bothering to check if his mum was following.

Though dinner would be starting soon, he set to work doing what he could before he was called to eat. He was trying to tug down his old curtains when his mother appeared and shouted.

By the next day, his room was no longer various shades of grey. Every corner of it was brightly coloured, and Scorpius could say that he felt much happier being in it than he had been before.

* * *

Scorpius was waiting by the fireplace when his father fell out of it, and before Draco could gain his bearings, Scorpius tugged him out of the parlour.

"Scorpius, what are you—"

"My room!" he exclaimed. "You need to see my room."

Usually, he avoided getting visibly excited around his dad. Draco never got as happy about things as Scorpius did, so when he tried to share his excitement, it fell flat. This time, though, he was overwhelmed and needed everyone to know how great his room was.

Draco followed without complaint once he realized what was going on.

Scorpius flung the door open and ran for his bed, throwing himself on top of it and immediately turning around to take in Draco's response. His dad stayed in the doorway, eyes scanning the room as his mouth hung open.

When his eyes landed on Scorpius, he realized the boy was waiting for him to speak.

"It's very...colourful, Scorpius."

Scorpius beamed, bouncing on his mattress.

"Every colour of the rainbow," he confirmed. "I made sure of it."

Draco gave a short nod to show that he believed him.

"It's very," Draco stumbled over the right word, "nice."

More beaming. Draco tried to smile back, and Scorpius accepted it as genuine. In reality, Draco was a little frightened by how blindingly bright the place was. If couldn't have been good for Scorpius' eyes. He'd have to ask Astoria about it, let her reassure him that it would be just fine.

"Mum said I could decorate your room next."

Draco took a deep breath as he leaned against the doorframe to support himself.

"We'll talk about it."


End file.
